70s. there's a children's festival saturday and sunday. looks very nice. for tonight, not so nice. drizzle ends, mostly cloudy, some fog comes in late. low temperatures 58 to 66 with light wind. let me show you live doppler 9,000 and there's a little bit, so we don't have to strain your eyes. there's a little bit of drizzle about to cross into the district. not far from river road and most of the activity is west of town and south of 50 out towards shady side. and it is pushing across the bay. nothing is heavy with a couple sprinkles and that is it. back to the computer we go, we'll talk about temperatures tonight. a little cooler. some areas may dip into the 50s. 62 in bethesda. and 61 in bowie. temperatures right now, 60s. and very uniform. 66 in alany, 67 in dumfries. tomorrow morning, mostly cloudy and cool. a few breaks in the clouds. by afternoon, partly cloudy and

pleasant. upper 70s. winds turn northwest. that's a good, dry wind. satellite picture, radar combined, a tremendous amount of showers and thunderstorms in the south. this is going to stay to our south for a while. at least through the weekend and we will watch it next week. in the meantime, the clouds we have now will slowly dry up and push on out. it will take a little while. next seven days, partly cloudy and beautiful on saturday and sunday. partly cloudy on saturday. clouds come in late on sunday. showers and maybe a thunderstorm monday, better chance of thunderstorms though tuesday, wednesday, and thursday of next week. despite the thunderstorms, warmer. almost a touch of summer. 83 on sunday. >> it holds there for a bit. >> it does. thank you, topper. >> we have time to change that, though. >> keep the temperatures the same. >> there you go. okay, we all know lit m girls love to pretend that they are princesses. >> and not just at halloween, all year round. find out how local businesses

are cashing in, coming up. if i had to sit on a bench during the middle of a game due to diabetes it would frustrate me. in a basketball game a couple minutes could mean a big momentum shift. my bayer meter is very important. (announcer) only bayer's contour meter has programmable personal high low settings. it allows me to be able to look at my highs and lows to make sure that my diabetes is being controlled as tightly as possible. with my bayer meter i don't miss valuable game time. i'm alana burns and staying in the game is my simple win. (announcer) the contour meter, only from bayer.

we want to update our breaking news now. this is a rescue in prince georges county. the driver of the van is being evacuated after being rescued from his car. it went down a steep ravine in largo and the vehicle skidded on a ramp from largo center to central avenue. >> the driver is being evaluated. you can see the situation. they are trying to reprieve the vehicle as well. you see the rescue workers with the ramps going back up to the roadway there. again, trying to get that situation cleared up in largo, maryland. as you know, halloween is right around the corner and parents, yeah, were scouring the internet, princess costumes have been number one sellers for four years running. >> i wonder why. but princesses aren't just for halloween. year round interest in bringing fairy tales to life makes the power of the princess big

business. >> i like cinderella. >> little girls just love their princesses. >> i think they get to dress up and be beautiful. >> this week, they enjoyed an afternoon of tea and a dress rehearsal of a disney show. general manager, mark sherwin wants to make sure they are treated like royalty. >> help us pick out the best items for our teas as well as give us some feedback on the performance itself. >> with tea parties like this one, they recognize the power of the princess, but they aren't the only ones. princess party businesses have been popping up locally. princess impersonator plays cinderella three times a

weekend, $200. little pampered princess parties based in waldorf, maryland, charges about $600 for eight kiddings. also in westen, virginia, $450 for ten kids. why thatly popular? >> everybody wants to be something bigger, larger than life, and i think that princesses capture these young girls emotions and their imaginations. >> the commercial power of the princess isn't going away any time soon. next month, disney rereleased its first princess, snow white on dvd and blue ray, and tiana makes her debut. a new assortment of products inspired by these two princesses, including books and toys. jessica doyle, 9news now and

wusa9.com. we have a closet of princess costumes that don't get worn anymore. still ahead, we'll meet the world's new tallest man. >> plus, republicans are accusing president obama of weakening our national security. find out why coming up. fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the rich fields of our local farmers. coming up, we are taking you to the new farmer's market right in the heart of dc. the new mcdonald's bacon and cheese angus third pounder. before taking it on, one must study it first. rushing in unprepared may prove overwhelming... with all that juicy, 100% angus beef. there! you found a point of entry! the bacon beckons like a springboard to paradise. one small bite for man... etcetera, etcetera. angus axiom number 11: bring on the bacon. the astonishing new angus third pounders.

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welcome back. let's reset some of the top stories in the news right now. president obama appeared at the university of maryland today to make a plea for healthcare reform. america is the only nation on earth that leads millions without health insurance. a teenager was struck and killed by a metro train this afternoon. he was rescued by rescuers with the fire department, but died later at the hospital. and a search is underway for four suspects behind a home invasion in anondale. all the intruders were wearing masks as they barged into a

home today in the 3400 block of charleston street. if you have an appetite for fresh food, the farmer's market may be right for you. it is on the 800 block outside of the department of veterans affairs and alex joins us with more on what is happening there in dc. hi, alex. >> reporter: first, katie, the vegetable garden on the south lawn of the white house, first lady, michelle obama set up and now this quaint farmer's market here in the heart of dc. dc residents and farmers come face to face. >> today is a great day for american farmers. >> a standing crowd of dc locals and visitors raising this cheered for their new farmer's market. michelle obama brought the excitement on opening day. >> i have never seen so many people so excited about fruits and vegetables. >> reporter: the nonprofit group is running the show.

president obama has said it is a win, win for everybody. he believes it gives dc more access to good fruits and vegetables. farmers will also display locally grown meats and cheeses. >> all of us buy fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, let's teach all of us how to take care of ourselves. >> farm's markets do more than just help americans feed their families healthy meals. they help america's family farmers, as you met some of our great farmers here and you'll get to know them. that's the good thing about farmer's markets. you get to know the people who grow your food. how they do it. >> only blocks from the white house, you can take a stroll through farmer's market and nibble on a fresh apple or a cool peach. delicious. first lady says this is a huge revenue maker for many americans, like farmer jim over

here. >> people are paying for the =. >> some concerns for people, traffic headaches. a part of the road is shut down for the market until 8:00 this evening. a traffic control officer from the department of transportation are in the area to keep things moving. right now, things have slowed down a bit, but still busy. vendors and people are still here sampling peaches and apples and some tomatoes. so if you want to come out here, right here on vermont in the section between i and h street, you can shop for your fresh fruits and vegetables. reporting live, i'm alex, 9news now and wusa9.com. >> alex, feel free to bring any fruit you want back to the station. the white house is scratching the old bush era missile defense system. russia calls it a responsible move, republicans say it

weakens our security. here is karen brown. >> reporter: president obama is pulling the plug on a bush era missile defense plan and launching his own. >> it is more comprehensive than the previous plan. it is cost effective. >> reporter: former president, george w. bush wanted to guard against the threat of iran with a missile defense guard. putting radar in the cheq republic. now russian president is calling the new plan a responsible move. president obama's announcement comes ahead of the russian president's trip here to the u.n. general assembly and it could encourage russian support for america's fight against the taliban in afghanistan. defense secretary, robert gates insisted this redesign program is better than the one he recommended to president bush. it uses land and sea defenses. >> it is more aat adapted to

the threat we see developing. >> reporter: the pentagon perceives the biggest threat to be the short and medium range missiles. the old system concentrated on long-range missiles. some republicans are calling the change dangerous and harmful to america's relationship with poland and the check republic. >> i think it's dangerous. >> reporter: eastern european allies could play a role. karen brown, cbs news, the united nations. president obama took office promising to reset relations with russia. former vice president, dick cheney had elective back surgery today. a spokesperson says today's procedure at george washington university hospital was designed to treat a common cause of lower back pain in older people. mr. cheney is 68. he has had four heart attacks. how would you like this guy on your basketball team?

you will meet the world's new tallest man. 27-year-old is 8-foot 1. 8-foot 1. other new record holders include jake of michigan and his largest ball of cling film, then there's the world's biggest hamburger. not quite that big. it is still nearly 165-pounds. try biting into that. the 2010 edition hits bookstores today. also, our bloggers bearing the law? >> i have not and i do not. >> how some websites may be deceiving you and why the feds are cracking down. mommy bloggers under fire next.

your favorite blog gives the scoop on the best products, what to wear, new trends, but how would you feel if the people behind the site were getting paid to endorse those products. you should know what the truth really is behind the advertising. >> if you click on the resourceful reviews tab, you know right away. >> amy writes the resourceful mommy blog. she makes it clear her advice and reviews are free. >> i have offered many products every day. i'm offered money to review those products. i don't accept any payment. blogers are the new vessels for word of mouth marketing. obscurity to over the top. and the ftc believes transparency is important. >> if you are receiving compensation either in terms of money or products from a sponsoring advertiser, the

public has a right to know that you are pitching a product. >> why now? blogers like amy are indated with products that companies want to get on store shelves. >> these are games that we tried out. >> and the ftc says its 30- year-old marketing guidelines don't hold up anymore. it wants to keep bloggers and other advertisers honest. >> we think that consumers, if they knew that information, it might affect how they view what you are telling them. >> we are really making sure we are holding ourself to a high standard and i believe that we really just would like the ftc to understand that. >> feds say there has been little push back on this issue. and this resourceful mommy believes mommies have a responsible to share accurate information, because in this case, their word really is their bond. >> now ftc commissioners expect to take up the issue this fall and revisions will impact advertisers from tv, radio, and online.

want to learn more? go to our website, wusa9.com and click on living smart. moms say they blog because it really helps them feel connected. if you log on to dcmomslikeme.com, we would love to hear your thoughts on the proposed crackdown. coming up, people magazine names this year's best and worst dressed celebrities. but first, folk music fans are mourning the death of mary. i'm sara walsh at redskins park, we'll tell you what chris cooley posted in the locker room and why it's not an easy read. that story up ahead.

tonight at 11:00, fighting gravity to fight the damage left behind by a stroke. we take you to a local rehab center, getting people back to

their feet, literally. plus, a stroke warning sign that this man completely missed. >> she was the mary from peter, paul, and mary. >> mary died last night at the age of 72. alexis reports. ♪ [ music ] >> mary travers, one of the three voices of peter, paul, and mary died after a long battle with leukemia. her band meat said in her final months, she handled her declining health with bravery. she said i am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without mary. born in 1936, travers grew up in manhattan and quickly fell in love with folk music. in 1961, she joined peter and paul and the band went on to record major hits, including if i had a hammer, leaving on a jet plane, and puff the magic

dragon. they also won a grammy for their version of bob dillon's, blowing in the wind. the trio mingled their music with politics. they opposed the vietnam war and were active in the civil rights movement. >> love and flower power. >> reporter: and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. >> you know, there's no republican folk singers. >> reporter: in 2006, travers had a successful bone marrow transplant and was able to perform for a while. the disease returned, taking her life at the age of 72. alexis, cbs news, new york. >> after 72 years on the air, the final episode of guiding light airs tomorrow right here on wusa9. the cbs soap opera started on the radio in 1937, moved to television in 1952, so it's not only the longest running soap of all time, it's also the longest running show of all time. and while we can't tell you how

the series will end, the stars will give you a hint. >> all the people that should be together in the end will be there together in the end. >> you think that's going to happen? >> yup. >> all right. okay. watch the final episode tomorrow morning at 10:00 right here on wusa9. first lady, michelle obama is on people magazine's best list. because of her pension for jay crew. also on the list, kate winslet, beyonce knowles. country music star, taylor swift wins best sparkle. kim gets the best bikini. actress, brad pit and nip and

tuck and twilight. the worst dressed, jessica simpson for wearing mom jeans at a chilly cookoff festival. also on the list, former american idol judge, paula abdul. >> what are mom jeans anyway? are they just cute jeans? >> no, their not. that's another conversation for later. 9news now at 6:00 is 15 minutes away and here's a look at what we have for you tonight. how a pilot program or a delayed response to a house fire in bowie is being blamed on staffing cuts and a pilot program to increase safety. and it's the first time virginia's two candidates have debated in northern virginia. you'll hear from both of them at 6:00. plus, gilbert arenas ripped into the wizards. haven't heard that name in a while. we'll talk about him and more coming up tonight at 6:00. >> topper, you have been interrupting our story, it is finally your turn to speak. >> sorry.

>> the best dressed list. he liked the bikinis, right? >> no, of course not. we are looking at drizzle dispating. here are your next three days, a decent friday, may take a while to become partly cloudy. it will clear out. upper 70s, beautiful on saturday, sunday beautiful, upper 70s. clouds come in late on sunday, but a nice day. we have the terps on saturday, the skins on sunday, and we have the children's festival saturday and sunday. it will cooperate. tonight though, cooperating a little bit. drizzle ends, mostly cloudy, some fog develops late. low temperatures. lows tonight, some areas may dip in the 50s barely. 59 in great falls. 62 in silver spring. and mid 60s downtown. right now, we are talking 60s across the board. mid 60s in gaithersburg. tomorrow morning, mostly cloudy and cool. should be dry tomorrow morning. 50s and 60s.

winds turn southwest by 10:00. highs in the upper 70s and winds turn northwesterly. satellite picture, radar combined, not much precipitation in here. we talked about not much bite with the bark, so to speak. a little bit of drizzle pushing off the eastern shore and that is about it. a lot of clouds that go back into west virginia and it will take a while to clear. forecast, remember all six zones are on our website at wusa9.com. 76 in charlestown. 79 in springfield. stafford, you might hit 80. other side of the river, 79 downtown. upper 70s mastcas. by the bay, not quite as warm. upper 70s for north beach. next seven days, 79 tomorrow, becoming partly cloudy. beautiful on saturday. sunshine upper 70s, upper 70s on sunday. clouds come in late. showers and thunderstorms on monday. still kind of warm, though. near 80 and more showers and

thunderstorms as we get into tuesday, wednesday, and thursday and temperatures are still going to be around 80 on tuesday and in the low to mid 80s next wednesday and thursday. on this date, actually there are three dates. wednesday, thursday, friday, always marks a historical hurricane. let's check out my blog at wusa9.com. >> we will topper, thank you. probably the most popular redskin, if i had to guess currently and just an interesting guy. and i say that without any hesitation. chris not a pro bowl tight end. he is a rather bizarre guy. sometimes a bit too bizarre, like when he accidentally posted a naked picture of himself reading his play book. but that's part of the deal with cooley. he likes to reach out to his fans and sometimes they like to reach back. >> on the field, chris' title is tight end. off of it, just one adjective

won't do him justice. >> i'm not a sit around the house kind of guy. >> nearly 19,000 people follow him on twitter and he is also an artist about to put his works up for charity. >> i'm really nervous to put myself out there and have everyone critique it. >> it's cooley's blog that has given fans a direct link to the pro bowler. >> i think it's great for the fans to communicate on a more personal level and i think he is the first one to do that around here. >> a lot of people say, i'm sure you don't read this, but i see everything. >> he loves the interaction with his fans, even though it's not always positive. he just received a profanity laced tirade in week one and he felt the obligation to share it with his teammates, posting that e-mail in the locker room. >> it was really offensive to the point that it was very funny. so i put it up for the team to check it out. >> and chris isn't the only coole glrks the spotlight.

a camera crew is following his family this week. his wife will be on a show about football wives. >> promoting self- . it is something that is different than the average football player, too. >> we are good with it. >> perhaps his most accurate description would be multitasker. sara walsh, 9news now and wusa9.com. all right, let me answer topper's question, first. yes, chris cooley's wife was a redskins cheer leader, and she got fired, but she did get to marry chris. if you would like to see that e- mail and chris' response, it's on his blog, which is chriscoole y47.blogspot.com. and don't let your kids watch it. >> got it. thanks. up next, a young mother's desperate quest to see her daughter see. how far would you go for a cure. >> and we are always on at

wusa9.com. stay with us, tonight's living well segment is next.

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against incredible odds. a family from king george, virginia, is about to take a medical odyssey to china in hopes of bringing light in the world of a child named summer grace. >> she is very cute, outgoing. >> at first glance, few people would pick up anything unusual about one-year-old summer grace, but this beautiful baby girl suffers from a rare disorder. >> summer's dad was asking permanently or is this going to be fixed? they are like, it's not fixable. >> figuring out motherhood, for mandy, summer entered her life when she was figuring out life as a senior in high school. the news that summer would be blind devastated the whole family. >> i was in complete shock. >> i felt helpless, like there was nothing i could do to help her. >> it manifests in various ways, from learning disabilities to being shorter

in stature to visual impairment. >> we started working with her. >> however, after scouring the internet, her grandma came across numerous stories who traveled thousands of miles for stem cell treatments and now were able to see. >> took my breath away. >> i have read testimonials, i know she is going to see, i really have a feeling in my heart and soul that she is going to see one day. >> the treatments used in china are not approved in the u.s. doctors there use cord blood to try and regenerate the optic nerves with hopes that patients develop some type of vision. >> if she can see a color or something, we'll know we did everything we could do. >> just a little chance for her to see, i mean, i like to go to bed at night knowing i did everything i could. >> again, here in the united states, this stem cell therapy is considered controversial. there is no guarantee it's

going to work. the family says they have to try. total cost for the trip and treatment, somewhere between $50 and $70,000. to find out about community fund raising efforts for summer grace and more about this rare eye disorder, go to our website, wusa9.com and click on living well. of course, we will follow this baby's progress and let you know. thanks for joining us for 9news now at 5:00. 9news now at 6:00 starts right now. from the station with high definition, this is 9 9news now. a huge day in politics in our area. >> republican candidate, bob mcdonald. >> virginia's two candidates debate for the first time in northern virginia. plus a frenzy of people greet the president at college park. >> now is the season for action. >> as the commander in chief pushes for healthcare reform. good evening, i'm lesli foster.

virginia's golf governor race was there. the economy was probably a big topic. >> absolutely. both bob and creigh deeds talked about how they each would create jobs and get the economy moving again. but some new ground came up on their views about the opposition to president obama. campaign workers lined the entrance to capital one, which started on mcdonald's thesis. >> the state aught to be involved in contraceptive decisions. >> carrying out an antiwoman agenda, mcdonald countered by pointing out his working wife and daughters in the audience. >> my daughter was serving in baghdad, iraq. had 25